MARLINS STILL HAVE THE BRAVES' NUMBER

Someone out of the country for a month, perhaps following the World Cup in France and not paying attention to baseball scores in small type in foreign newspapers, might not believe what has happened to the Marlins.

The resurgent Marlins, baseball's undisputed laughingstock in April and May, won a series against the Atlanta Braves by completing an unprecedented sweep against the Denny Neagle-Greg Maddux-Tom Glavine pitching triad on Sunday.

The Marlins beat Glavine and the Braves 5-3 at Pro Player Stadium, marking the first time that Neagle, Maddux and Glavine have been beaten in consecutive games since the Braves got Neagle in a trade from Pittsburgh in August 1996.

What are odds of that?

"Probably not real high," said Glavine (12-4), who gave up five runs and 11 hits in six innings and has lost twice to the Marlins in a month. "What are the chances of all three of us having bad games in succession? It only happens once or twice a season; that's why we don't have long losing streaks."

The three-game skid matches Atlanta's longest and drops them to 3-4 against the Marlins and 9-16 over the past two seasons, including the National League Championship Series won by the Marlins four games to two.

This is a drastically revamped and downsized team, and yet the Marlins have won 18 of their past 30 games, one more than they won in their first 61.

Not only do they no longer have the worst overall record, the Marlins (35-56) don't have the worst record in Florida. Tampa Bay is 34-56. And with Montreal (36-54) in town for three games starting tonight at Pro Player Stadium, the rookie-laden Marlins could climb out of the division cellar.

"It's a matter of confidence," said lone infield veteran Todd Zeile, who sparked a three-run second inning with an opposite-field leadoff single to right. "As the confidence grows, [the young players) believe that we can win against anybody. Until that last out is on the board, this team doesn't believe in the possibility of a loss.

"Obviously we probably had a lot more motivation in this series than the Braves did. But we're proving we can play at that level."

The Braves came back from the All-Star break riding an eight-game streak, which they extended when John Smoltz got a win in the series opener. But that was it. The rest of the Braves' Big Four went away with losses, and Marlins rookies Jesus Sanchez, Matt Mantei and Brian Meadows got wins.

Meadows (8-6) went only five innings and 66 pitches (49 strikes) before manager Jim Leyland decided to use his bullpen. Brian Edmondson gave up one hit and one unearned run in two innings against his former team, then Felix Heredia got the Marlins in a jam by walking the first two batters in the eighth.

Antonio Alfonseca got them out of it, allowing only a sacrifice fly on a liner to right by Ryan Klesko, who was robbed of extra bases and two RBI when Mark Kotsay made a sliding, backhanded catch after sprinting from the gap.

"He made a great play," Leyland said. "If the ball goes by him and goes to the wall, we're in deep [trouble), I tell you that."

Alfonseca retired Javy Lopez on a flare to second to get out of the inning, then induced three grounders in the ninth for his sixth save.

Meadows was charged with one run and six hits, but Chipper Jones doubled in the first and homered in the fourth, and he was due to start the sixth, which may have played in Leyland's decision.

"I was a little surprised, but I was tiring a little bit and leaving some pitches up," Meadows said. "It's his team, and he's going to make moves. I did my job for five innings."

The Marlins tried to jump on Glavine early, getting six of their 11 hits against him on first-pitch swings. They knew Glavine would use the outside third of the plate as always, so the Marlins hit those pitches the other way. Two of Mike Redmond's three hits went to the opposite field, and both of Zeile's did.

Maddux and Glavine had one loss between them in 21 starts entering the weekend.

"We lost a series," Glavine said. "It just goes to show, no matter who you play, you can't expect to throw your gloves on the field and win."